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Darrak, Baron Silvertarn
Darrak, Baron Silvertarn was a dwarven hero of legend who became the Lorekeeper of all Istria during the Dark Age. He was wed to Ravaella Forgedawn before he ascended to godship to fill the role of Labelas Enoreth, becomeing one with all knowledge and lore of the planes. He is now venerated as a deity by all sages, scholars, and intellectuals, and he is considered a patron deity of the Sharonallel resistance, as he is still husband to their queen, even as a god. Biography Darrak was born in Atwal to Shalannan and Janstina Silvertarn in 203 DA. His father was a major blacksmith in the city, while his mother managed the adjoining armor and weapon shop. His parents were nominal devotees of the cult of the Raven Queen, though Darrak was largely irreligious in his youth. In 210 DA, Darrak's younger sister, Therdiana, was born. Janstina died in childbirth. In 216 DA, Shalannan was commissioned to make a custom sword for a minor human noble at Fort Ganggard. He brought Darrak along, as Darrak had been apprenticed the year before. Therdiana was left with an aunt in Atwal. However, when the father and son were within a two-hour's ride of Ganggard, they were ambushed by a party of orcs. Shalannan was killed, and Darrak barely escaped with his life by fleeing into the nearby forest. He was encountered by an elven scout, and taken to an elven settlement between Ganggard and Itast, where his wounds were treated. Despite his initial racial prejudice, Darrak soon became quite fond of the elves he was with. During his stay, he became enamored with the philosophical teachings of Labelas Enoreth, whom the elves revered as a deity. So enthusiastic was he in his studies of philosophy that he stayed on with the elves for eight years, eventually training to become a cleric and marrying the High Princess of Elvenkind, Ravaella Forgedawn. He abandoned her and returned to Atwal in 224 DA, where he took care of his sister, then 14 years of age. To support himself and his sister, he sold his father's property, along with what remained of his inventory. He then took up a position in the local temple of his patron god, becoming ordained as a junior priest, where he lived in the rectory with his sister. By 225 DA, when it was time for the Great Migration south, Darrak decided to take his sister with him, in the hopes of finding a different city below the equator in which to reside, Atwal bringing back memories of his parents that he found too painful with which to cope on a day-to-day basis. However, along the way, his sister was kidnapped by a chromatic dragon, and in desperation, Darrak fought his way through the desert, being reuinted with his wife during his journey. He reclaimed Therdiana and returned with her and Ravaella to Atwal, where they lived in peace for a year. In 226 DA, Darrak was summoned to the Shadowfell to fight a threat to the city of Gloomwrought, where he was promptly killed. Resurrected by his god to finish the work he had begun, he underwent a spell of madness, common to those revived from death, before settling into a truly neutral and balanced stance on all of existence. He, with the aid of close friends, expelled a dracolich from the city, and was awarded a Barony for his efforts. While it is unknown precisely when Darrak attained immortality, his mortal body was slain in 256 DA by a demon prince bearing an abyssal sword of evil, and his essence ascended to join the pantheon of Istrian gods. Cult Devotees of Darrak Silvertarn pray to him before any encounter that could breed learning, and bless every book before they read it. He is thought to reside in the Astral Sea, but imbues his essence into the entire corpus of mortal knowledge, knowing that good and evil reside in balance. He enjoins his followers to strike a middle way in their dealings with all, and to take a neutral approach to all events, as they will someday become a part of knowledge, in which one should inherently rejoice. Under Sharonallel Practice Sharonallel adherents to Darrak-worship invoke the humo-dwarven genocide of magical peoples as an attempt to repress knowledge, which they consider an affront to their god. As such, they feel at ease taking an aggressive stance to such actions, despite the traditional teaching to find balance in all things, for the destruction of the knowledge of the magical races is blasphemy to them. Under Mo-Kan Practice Mo-Kan monks officially worship no deity, but as Darrak resides wherever learning is to be found, some of their disciples will refer to books as "Darrak paths," and he is respected in his desire to seek a middle way through life. Holy Symbol Worshipers of Darrak wear a symbol indicating balance and literature. Category:Historical Figures Category:Deities